After a year of “heavy-handed nudging” (AP), Microsoft’s extraordinary campaign (waged from the cosy sanctuary of its users’ computers) to persuade Windows 7 and 8 users to update to Windows 10, has recently taken initiatives which have enraged many of its users. I am one of those misused users.

Because of Microsoft’s power over our PCs, for a year we have had to tolerate the irritating 24/7 presence of this massive M/S Campaign on the bottom bar of our computers (looking like a large white flag of Truce while behaving like a Trojan Horse). With complete impunity, its Windows 10 Free Update offer popped on to our screens several times per week for our acceptance or rejection.

Recently, as the Internet now reports, Microsoft has become even more proactive in its “salesmanship” and coercion, and 2 days ago, I was on the receiving end of what I consider to be unwarranted interference and hassle from their Trojan warriors.

I had left my PC for some brief R & R. When I returned about 20 minutes later, I found myself facing a a black screen announcing UPDATING WINDOWS: 4%. Alarmed and mesmerised, I slumped in the chair for 20 minutes while the Windows 10 preparation files were loaded. Since there was no way that I, as a non-techie person, could stop this ghastly intrusion, I gradually came to accept that I would have to learn the arcane ways of the new Windows 10 and suffer the inevitable losses of TIME, programmes, etc. (all of which I had hitherto tried so hard to AVOID, by my FREE CHOICE of the NO option, in a free society).

And then, suddenly, a BLUE screen appeared with a lot of legalese jargon describing the Accept and Decline alternatives. The latter were heavily padded out by legal gobbledygook hinting at the extreme difficulties which might materialise for the user in the event of clicking the Decline button. I was alarmed and ready to Accept but still stared at this screen for several more minutes. The prospect was so unacceptable that, in spite of possible difficulties, I finally took a chance: DECLINE.

And, slowly, the situation was reversed and Window 7 eventually returned to my control.

Apparently without damage.

I was, and continue to be, extremely ANGRY with Microsoft for their aggressive actions and for the extreme distress caused to me.

*ADDENDUM. I have now applied Steve Gibson’s (GRC) Never 10remedy and the M/S Trojan Horse has at last been driven from my bottom bar.

Yesterday I took a look on the Internet and found evidence of serious professional and public criticism of Microsoft’s recent high-handed (euphemism!) measures. For anyone seeking the real details, I recommend an article by Mark Hachmanof PC World, who fills in some of the technical details of Microsoft’s recent behaviour: ‘How to escape that forced Windows 10 upgrade you mistakenly agreed to. Sadly, it’s not as simple as it should be.’

PS Because I was not present when the M/S intrusion commenced, I cannot say whether Microsoft offered me any last minute way out of the update, which, in any case, was NOT requested by me.